The present invention relates to a road finishing machine with diesel-hydraulically driven main wheels and at least one set of steerable wheels and, more particularly, to an apparatus for powering the driven wheels of such a vehicle.
A known road finishing machine has the driver's seat approximately above the powered main wheel set. Two pairs of steerable wheels are located in the direction of travel in front of the powered main wheel set, above which there is a container for the materials to be applied. These materials can be bituminous products, bonded or free mineral mixtures. The material to be applied is moved from the container to the rear and spread on the road surface. Behind the powered main wheel set, the road finishing machine has a set of components consisting of a vibrating tamping plank for tamping down the applied material. The effective width of the plank can be widely varied by extending it sideways. In operation, the wheels roll on the road surface which has been prepared for applying the material. Under unfavorable conditions, the traction on the road surface may be insufficient and this causes the powered wheels to spin. Therefore, a road finishing machine of this type is unsuitable. Instead, track or caterpillar type finishing machines are then used. However, track-type machines are considerably more expensive than wheel-type machines.